Visit Kyushu
The Official Kyushu Travel Guide

Anyone claiming to love samurai history should be familiar with the name Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the most renowned samurai who ever lived. Legend has it that he fought in 60 duels in his lifetime, never losing a single one. He appeared in numerous battles, was a vassal to a half dozen powerful lords, and created a distinctive fighting style known as Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu, characterized by using two swords, one long and one short. Musashi documented the philosophy and technique of Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu in "The Book of Five Rings" which he completed near the end of his life in Kumamoto Prefecture.（）

Day 1: An Ancient Shrine and Fukuoka Street Food

My itinerary is a fusion of important locations related to samurai’s history and their spiritualism in Kyushu with places and experiences related to Musashi's life. We began in the Hakata district of Fukuoka city, on the grounds of the ancient Kushida Shrine (although astute Musashi fans know that Kokura Castle in nearby Kitakyushu was an essential part of Musashi lore, this packed three-day itinerary didn't allow me to make a visit there). The shrine's strong connection to samurai history is its patronage from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the powerful ruler of Japan who preceded the Tokugawa Shogunate. Founded around the middle of the 8th century, Kushida Shrine is one of Fukuoka's oldest. It hosts an exciting event called the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival every July. This nearly 800-year-old festival features huge teams of participants running with one-ton floats, some up to 13 meters tall, racing through the city streets. If you are lucky enough to be in Fukuoka during the event, you can join the festive crowd in cheering the participating teams, but even if you are not, you can get a glimpse of these incredibly crafted floats on display on the grounds of the shrine. On my visit, Kushida Shrine was buzzing with activity preparing for the main event happening days after.